Naked In Vermont Library

BRATTLEBORO — The town attorney will present options Tuesday to stop a group of young people from taking off their clothes in a downtown parking  lot, an issue hat has put an international spotlight on this Windham County Community. Attorney Robert Fisher will present options for an anti-nudity ordinance, including examples of what other Vermont towns have passed, at the Select Board's regular meeting this week, according to an agenda released by the town late Friday. Some residents are urging the town to pass a local law banning nudity in the downtown business district after a small group of teenagers and young adults began shedding their clothes briefly in Harmony Parking lot, a popular downtown spot. Chairman Steve Steidle said Saturday the board will look at what options are available, since Vermont state law does not now prohibit nudity in public areas. But he said the board has not endorsed an ordinance as the solution to a problem because the colder fall weather will soon solve it. I just wish people would use common sense," Steidle said. "Going naked in public is not a good idea." Brattleboro is no stranger to nudity. It's not unusual to see a few naked swimmers at local swimming holes. The early 1990s saw "Breast Fest," which involved a group of women walking topless down Main Street. And four years ago a charity calendar called "Men of Brattleboro" was released, a product that featured prominent male residents, including the local superintendent of schools, in the buff. But the recent bout of nudity has been new. Over the summer, the teenagers have held naked bicycle rides and naked Hula Hoop contests. Still, the nudity is typically rare and brief. Select Board Vice Chairman Richard DeGray said some residents he has spoken to are outraged about the nudity. Others think investigating an ordinance is a waste of the town's time, he said, especially since there are pressing financial matters to tackle. The nudity isn't the issue as much as it is a lack of respect for other people," DeGray said. "Just because you can do it legally in Vermont, doesn't mean you should." National and international media outlets have grabbed hold of the story. Town officials have received interview requests from the BBC, Fox News' Bill O'Reilly and the Washington Post. Theresa Toney, the Brattleboro resident who kicked off the anti-nudity effort when she complained to the Select Board at its Aug. 15 meeting, was interviewed friday afternoon at Emerson's Furniture in Brattleboro by a film crew from the Dr. Phil" television show. Toney said at first she did not want to go on the show, but the crew persisted, and Friday she gave them a five-minute commentary. She was told the show, which will also feature a handful of nude Brattleboro teenagers, will air Friday, Sept. 8. If this is a decent Select Board, then they will do something about this," Tomey said. "It's a parking lot, not a strip joint." Nudists rarely expose their unclothed bodies to the general populace, according to the owner of "www.NakedinVermont.com," an online community and resource center for nudists in the state. Nudists will typically meet at out-of-the-way swimming areas or private houses, said the Burlington man who runs the site, who asked that he be identified only as John, his first name. It's not normal for nudists to walk around their towns naked," he said. "But I'm not quite sure why these kids in Brattleboro are doing what they are." The Brattleboro Select Board will meet at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday at the municipal center.